Twenty-two minutes of humility

[uncfnp]

It was almost 6 months in the making but last week on my 61st birthday Eric and I finally had our first opportunity to dive our Aqualung Fusion drysuits. Eric took to it immediately but me, not so much. I use the excuse that I was underweighted but truth was I looked like it was my first ever dive. Flipping, twisting and flapping my arms like a bird in flight. Pretty if you are a bird but not as a diver.

Suiting up actually went rather well. We had already changed some seals and trimmed others so they felt about right. We had also watched the video for donning the Fusions and did several dry runs at home. Despite our thermal gear (a hodge podge of things we already owned), getting into that 53 degree water was a shock, especially when my face hit the water. Cold too where I felt water around my neck but it was just getting under my hood not my seal. I don’t remember this happening my one week diving dry several years ago.

My only prior drysuit experience was in a crushed neoprene suit diving sidemount. That week I fell in love with diving dry and felt very comfortable in the water. This week in the Fusion couldn’t have been more different. I fought the suit and the air bubble constantly. I truly was underweighted (we need to buy more lead) but I doubt that was the only source for my problems. And I probably need new fins. I was using my Mares. Is there a fin somewhere between my light Mares and the very heavy traditional drysuit fins? I don’t need a large foot pocket.

Next dive I hope to add at least 4 pounds and move the camband weights to the bottom band. Maybe try a pound of lead on each ankle. More thermal layers too since I was pretty chilled the entire dive and I know this means even more lead. I really don’t want to wrap my legs/use some form of gaiter. Call me vain but I would like to think I can do this with skill alone. But yes, I will take some ace wraps just in case then if needed diy a pair of gaiters.

Good thing I have 8 more months to learn how to dive this thing before my California trip. I hope to meet up with some SBers then and really hope to not make a complete fool of myself.

 

[JohnnyC]

8 months is plenty of time to sell it and buy a better suit that doesn't suck for everything but a rental fleet.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

You mentioned managing an air bubble. Were you using the suit for buoyancy? If so, you should really add only enough air to combat the squeeze until you are comfortable with the suit. Use your buoyancy compensator for what it was designed to do. By the time you get used to the suit and have your weight down pat, the small amount of air in your suit should be enough to be neutrally buoyant.

 

[uncfnp]

8 months is plenty of time to sell it and buy a better suit that doesn't suck for everything but a rental fleet.

Eric warned me you might say something like that. I actually put a lot of thought into the suit. I loved my crushed neoprene but it was so heavy. And to get it over my head was quite literally painful. I needed something different but didn’t like the idea of a telescopic suit.

You mentioned managing an air bubble. Were you using the suit for buoyancy? If so, you should really add only enough air to combat the squeeze until you are comfortable with the suit. Use your buoyancy compensator for what it was designed to do. By the time you get used to the suit and have your weight down pat, the small amount of air in your suit should be enough to be neutrally buoyant.

Because I was at the line on weighting I actually used very little air and only with the intention to stay warm but it was very easy to tell exactly where the air was. My drysuit class used the BCD not suit for buoyancy.

 

[DeputyDan]

I had the air bubble issue with my drysuit experience as well.
DON"T FEEL ALONE !!!

 

[lowviz]

Dove with you dry, there is a bit of 'tongue-in-cheek' in your OP, no? You are one of the most delightful divers I have ever met. Still remember you and a store manager pulling nylon stockings over your head to find one that would ease up the force of your neo neck seal.

It seems that you still tend to be harshly critical of yourself... <wink>

Your bag suit is thin and therefore cold. You were probably compensating by adding air and then going buoyant. Get some seriously warm undergarments. Now you have reconstructed your crushed neo but in pieces.

...and PLEASE keep this thread going...

 

[The Chairman]

Flipping, twisting and flapping my arms like a bird in flight.

 

[uncfnp]

Oh no! Eric most definitely did not bring his gopro on that dive. Nor will he on the next!

@lowviz it really was that bad. I think because of the relative ease of my prior dry dives I was a bit overconfident. And those dives made me aware of just how bad I was this time. It didn’t take long to realize I was overmatched and the suit came out on top.

 

[lowviz]

Ha! Persevere, my dear...

 

[JohnnyC]

Eric warned me you might say something like that. I actually put a lot of thought into the suit. I loved my crushed neoprene but it was so heavy. And to get it over my head was quite literally painful. I needed something different but didn’t like the idea of a telescopic suit.

Because I was at the line on weighting I actually used very little air and only with the intention to stay warm but it was very easy to tell exactly where the air was. My drysuit class used the BCD not suit for buoyancy.

It's just an inherent problem in the design of the suit. If you want to make 3 sizes that fit everybody, you're gonna have a suit that is the perfect size for 3 people, and varying levels of compromise for the other 97% of people. The problem in all of that excess designed for someone bigger has to go somewhere. The outer skin does a great job at streamlining the profile that sees drag, but does nothing for all of those potential air traps that comes with the excess material inherent to the trash bag suit design.

You're just going to have to be extremely judicious in flopping around to move all of that excess air to a position where it's able to be vented. It's just a fact that they are really good at trapping air, which equates to really poor performance if the suit is in any way too large, which they all are, unless you're one of those 3 people that perfectly fit in the thing. Unfortunately, there's really no way to minimize the amount of excess material in the suit. You could try and pay someone to cut out the excess, but then you're playing with fire when it comes to potential leaks.

What was it about a telescopic torso that you didn't like? Did you get to try any of the suit styles before your purchase? I find a lot of people buy Fusions because dive shops use them for rental suits. Instead of having to stock a wide variety of suits that fit, they only have to stock a couple sizes that mostly don't fit, but most people renting drysuits don't really know any better. A lot of those people then end up buying them when they finally decide to bit the bullet because it's the only thing they're familiar with. They don't realize the low price is a reflection of a number of compromises with the suit design.